Who's It For?
by Airplane-Watchin
Summary: Kyoko's got a student under her wing, due to mesmerizing eyes and a smile, but what about her irregular beating heart for said student? What is our heroine to do?
1. Chapter 1

YAY! Fanfic number two! hehe didn't think I would be writing another one so quickly...didn't even think I would be writing another one but the reviews I got for the previous one motivated me :D

So just wanted to say that this will probably be a small story, like five chapters or so, I really haven't decided yet and as for the new chapter schedule I do not know that either. I'll try having the new chapters up as soon as I can, maybe one chapter per week?

Apologizes for any mistakes and please review to tell me what you think, and as much as I like anonymous reviews it gets on my nerve that I cannot message you to thank you for them, so please don't be afraid and leave me non-anonymous reviews...I don't bite I promise ;)

A slight warning I honestly do not know how a cafe functions behind the scenes and such so please excuse anything that seems silly or inform me so I can make the appropriate changes.

***I do not own Skip Beat and if I did I would be overwhelmed and panicked causing me to give it back to it's rightful owner**

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><p>Like a cliché the small café was situated in the heart of the city, surrounded by towering skyscrapers. One might think that the modest building sandwiched between such tremendous buildings would be demolished and replaced with a similar building of stature but that was not the case.<p>

The building, owned by an old couple, would never sell it nor would they even dream of destroying the precious brick structure for various reasons but on top of their list would be the renter who currently occupied the building.

It was a two floor building with a basement. The first floor held two translucent store front glass window panes. The panes were separated by a simple glass door framed with bloodwood. It was a simple store front but the red color of the wooden door stole all the attention until one happened to look up at the sign.

Above the door and the windows on the pure white sign, written in cursive were the words "_Fairy Lights"_. On the top right corner was a small woodland fairy almost the size of the letters. Many a new visitors claimed to have seen that fairy moving, thus catching their attention and piquing their curiosity to enter the café. The regulars would just smile with knowing looks when notified about the impish fairy.

It was not the teasing fairy that made the customers coming back again and again, almost like a delirious addiction.

The items served at the café were what made the customers so loyal and it helped immensely that the owner was a sweet young woman whose radiant personality was contagious to all those who walked through the door.

Kyoko, as she was called had come out from the kitchens in the back to check up on the lunch hour.

Since the store was surrounded by the various companies most of the customers were business men and women from the neighboring buildings. There was also the occasional celebrity come from the famed headquarters, LME.

Although the café served the usual coffee, tea, sandwiches, and light soups it was most famous for its cakes and desserts.

The store wide glass counter in the back of the store made children and adult alike drool with anticipation when their eyes beheld the rows of cakes and pastries. The front of the store was showered artistically with small square tables with matching chairs.

Kyoko would have loved to have decorated the café with all things frilly and pink but her sensibilities and her friend had managed to keep the hearts, roses and fantasies from bubbling out.

Few of the customers greeted Kyoko as she walked around. She returned the greetings and talked to some of them for a minute or two, not wanting to disturb their eating.

Noticing no problems with the customers as they ate in the comfy café, Kyoko turned her attention to one of the cahiers to speak about something.

She stood in her white apron wrapped around just her legs, her back to the door, conversing with Yuki.

The door twinkled and all the clients glimpsed at the blonde haired man who entered. Many woman gave him a once over and almost all of them thanked their lucky stars that they had come at the right time today.

His green eyes surveyed the store and they eventually landed on the young woman whose back was to him.

Yuki noticing his attention stopped paying attention and stared at him. Kyoko turned around to see who had caught Yuki's attention and her heart skipped a beat when she saw who it was.

Kuon gave her a small smile and nodded his head in greeting. His bespectacled manager coming up behind him addressed Kyoko.

"Hello Kyoko-chan" he gushed happily.

Kyoko bowed low and returned the greeting to both men.

Once they were done with the greetings Kuon and Yashiro, his manager, took their seats at a table by the windows.

Per ritual a male waiter served the two men, Kyoko had far too many incidents with the female waitress to let them continue serving Kuon. That is not to say that they were horrible workers just that they were human. To have the acclaimed actor, they usually saw on the screen or on the page of a magazine, in front of their eyes was surreal.

Kyoko could not help but take a peek at the man who sometimes confused her. There was something about him that seemed to take her by surprise. Although she heard of him just recently, it was not his fame that kept her on her toes.

Shaking her head to pull herself out of her daydreams Kyoko went back to her work, bidding various customers a good day.

Her pastry chef was hard at works as she step through the kitchen door. Kijima Hidehito was an established playboy but Kyoko liked him for his meticulous creations. A former child actor, he quit the world of glamour and fame to chase his dream of being a pastry chef.

At first Kyoko was reluctant to hire him, due to the fact that he had no prior experience just having got out of pastry school, and he flirted with her almost unmercifully. To say she was uncomfortable would have been an understatement. She looked past his playboy exterior and gave him a trial position and her gamble paid off. He was almost as good Kyoko, not that she would ever brag or even think such a thing.

Along with Kijima was the part-time apprentice, Mika, who did whatever she was told. As usual the two were flirting with each other and Kyoko wished she was back outside. Despite the fact that they weren't in a relationship Kyoko always felt like she was interrupting something private.

Her cheeks tinted pink and Mika saw her first.

"Any problems out there?" she asked cheerfully.

Kyoko smiled and shook her head "No, none Mika-san."

Mika rolled her eyes at the formality, Kyoko never seemed to learn. Forget the fact that they had known each other for two years now; Mika was younger than her for crying out loud.

"Anyone worthwhile?" asked Kijima with a smirk.

Instantly Kuon's face came into Kyoko's mind but she knew he wasn't asking about her male patrons.

Mika playfully threw a cream dusted towel at Kijima.

"Hey! What was that for?" He asked irritated, wiping cream off his cheek.

"You know exactly what it was for, stop asking her things that make her uncomfortable" stated Mika coolly.

Kyoko had her suspicions that Mika had a crush on Kijima, she got along with him well enough but the second his attention turned to some beautiful lady she would be all ice and sharpness.

"Guys!" warned Kyoko as their bickering got worse. They immediately shut up, knowing all too well about Kyoko's demons. When it came to her work Kyoko expected the best and bitter bickering was not what she wanted from her workers while they were on their job.

The waiters came to and fro from the double doors to pick up their orders ignoring the usual occurrence of Kijima and Mika being scolded.

Kyoko went to check up on the individual apple tarts she had put in the oven before she had gone out. The timer showed that 10 more minutes were left.

'Just enough time to check up on the supplies in the pantry' she thought. She made a list each day and brought fresh ingredients each morning for the day's use.

Her day went as it usually did and by the time closing time came around all she wanted to do was go up to her apartment, crawl into her comfy bed, and sleep the night away. Everyone else had gone home, leaving Kyoko with some simple tasks to finish before she locked up for the day.

Kyoko was crouched down, wiping down the inside of the display case when the door twinkled open.

Sighing Kyoko slowly got up saying "I'm sorry, but it's closing time so…"

Her words were lost on her as her golden eyes met with a pair of enticing green eyes.

"Kuon" slipped out of her mouth before she could stop herself and she turned the darkest shade of red imaginable on a pair of snowy cheeks, when she realized what she said.

The smile he gave her froze her body and he said softly "Kyoko-san…


	2. Chapter 2

Here chap two as promised guys! :)

Ok I just wanted to ask if you guys want Kyoko and Ren to have met when they were young? I don't really think it's needed in this story but I really like the idea of them meeting when they were young, but I shall leave it entirely up to you guys.

Another note if guys don't understand Sho or what Kyoko is talking about then please tell me so I can make it more understandable cuz I want to make Sho a bit more selfish and "evil/bad" in this.

Apologizes for any mistakes and thank you for reading!

*** I do not own Skip Beat nor do I deserve to own it ;) ***

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><p>Chap 2<p>

The day had been busy, so busy that Kyoko forgot all about her engagement for the night.

Kijima and the rest of the staff called good night to her as they paraded out the front door recalling**,** the way Kyoko handled the spoiled actor who had come in during the day.

Their gushing and laughter gradually muted as the front door closed behind them.

An exhausted sigh left Kyoko as she leaned back on the glass display and tried to gather her thoughts.

All that was left was the clean up, and then she could finally have dinner. Usually she ate on the job but the day had been heartless when it came to any form of free time and she enjoyed every second of it, save for the missed dinner.

She looked up at the clock**,** to see that it was close to 8:30. Letting out another sigh she pushed off the counter and decided to have a cup of sencha tea before she started her night time ritual.

Once she had the tea brewed**,** she went out to sit on one of the café tables. The view from the window made drinking the tea even more relaxing.

Although the moon was not in the vicinity of the café, a couple of stubborn stars were flaunting their brightness onto the city.

It was during times like this**,** Kyoko wished she was back at the Ryokan surrounded by nature. Tokyo had its parks and such**,** but finding a secluded place like the one from her childhood was hard.

She took another sip of tea, reminiscing her childhood, or at least the parts that were pleasant.

Most of her former days had been filled with her childhood friend, Sho Fuwa, but as she got older those days had decreased. The irony was that her feelings for him grew more the less time he spent with her.

She couldn't help it, Sho was always her rock, and the person she could rely on not to change, the feeling had been mutual. They didn't have a romantic relationship but he would always do little things that usually made her day.

Despite the fact that she never told him directly how she felt, he knew her feelings 'which was one of the reason for their attachment' as he had told her.

He relied on her and she relied on him, or so she thought. He changed when his music finally got him the fame he wanted.

Towards the end of middle school a talent scout had seen Sho performing for the school festival and had wanted him to sign on with Akatoki Agency.

Sho's parents were not happy at all and after many "discussions", more like out right fights, Sho left home once he graduated from middle school. When he asked her to tag along with him, her eyes finally opened up to the real him.

She had seen him making out with Rio the day before and he had asked her if she would come with him. What hurt her the most was when Rio asked why he didn't ask Kyoko, his supposed best friend, he had laughed and claimed that he wanted someone who wasn't a boring plain girl without an ounce of beauty that followed him around like a puppy dog.

To say her heart broke was an understatement. She had calmly walked back to the inn and shut herself in her small room. Denial had been strong in her mind but as she replayed the scene over and over again in her head even she could not find a justifiably reason for his words and actions.

They say love is blind and, Kyoko had to whole heartily agree with that. She had been blind and outright pathetic, in her opinion, when it came to Sho.

So when he asked her the next day she laughed in his face and told him that she wasn't his servant or his toy that he could play around with her in whatever way he chose.

The shock on his face would have been priceless, were it not for the fact that she had been nursing a broken heart.

She felt liberated standing up to him and the only thing she regretted was not slapping him.

In a determined fashioned she moved out of the ryokan, despite the Fuwa's beseeching her to stay.

She kindly told them that she could not rely on their kindness any longer and would make it in the world on her own.

It was obviously easier said than done but she had succeeded in her opinion.

"Kyoko-san" said the soothing voice, as it broke her thoughts and caught her completely by surprise.

Kyoko yelped and her heart raced as she half turned over to see Kuon standing hesitantly by the door.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to surprise you" he explained sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. The hand froze in its action as Kyoko blushed in embarrassment.

It took Kyoko a lot longer than usual to get her brain working again. 'Why was he here? The café was closed', not that she minded his presence.

"I'm sorry I'm late, I know we said 8:30 as the time but the filming took longer than usual and it slipped my mind to call you and inform you" he disclosed and Kyoko looked back like a deer caught in headlights.

An aura of awkwardness hung in the air as Kuon waited for her to reply and as Kyoko tired to ignore her fluttering heart to get her brain work properly again.

"Umm, Kyoko-san?" questioned Kuon as he walked up to her uncertainly.

Kyoko shook her head and half smiled and inquired "Why are you here Kuon-san?"

Kuon raised an eyebrow and peered down at the woman as he came stood a couple of feet away from her, wondering if perhaps he had gotten the day wrong.

"You told me to come, remember?"

Memories of last night flooded her brain. Flustered Kyoko quickly stood up, not realizing that half her body was turned around. Her hands brushed against the tea cup making it roll to the edge and before she could turn around completely to save it an arm shot out and seized the cup before it could touch the dreaded floor and shatter into a thousand glass fragments.

Kyoko automatically bowed in apology and took the cup back from his hand, trying to avoid his touch.

Kuon smiled that heavenly smile of his as she tried to push her mortification out of the way. Her heart suffocated for a second in between her ribs.

She clears her throat to get her mouth working again.

"Why don't we head to the kitchen to get started?" she states as she picks up the tea cup that has no handle and it's saucer from the table to avoid looking at him.

He agrees and she leads him past the counter to the double doors on the side.

He uses his long arms to his advantage as he opens the door for her. She smiles at him in thanks and he clutches his left hand in a fist, not that Kyoko notices.

He waits for her to put away the tea cup and looks around at the professional kitchen. It's flawless and everything appears to be in its rightful place.

"What exactly did you want to learn how to make? Or do you just want to learn the basics?" probed Kyoko as she turned back to face him. She had been astonished when he had come last night asking for her help. From what she had seen and heard of his personality, he always seemed like the type of man who could do just about anything, and for him to ask her out of all the skilled people in Tokyo was flabbergasting. Perhaps she should recommend him to someone else; she had been too dazed last night to realize what she was getting herself into.

"Wouldn't it be better if I learn the basic first?" he replied, confusion apparent on his graceful face.

"Not necessarily, when it comes to cooking it all depends on certain things, for example if you have limited time and you want to learn how to make one particular dish than it's best if you learn some basics and go right into making said dish. Practice is what makes a good cook, if on the other hand you want to learn how to cook various things than a strong foundation of basics would be better."

She liked how he was listening to her every word, it showed her that she was right when she deemed him to be a person who gave respect to those to deserved it, not that she was saying she was deserving of his respect but all the same it made her feel good that he was paying attention to what she was saying.

"Kyoko-san" Kuon started "If you were to confess your feelings to someone how would you convey your feelings through food?"

She cocked her head to one side and wondered what he meant.

Not wanting to appear like an idiot again Kyoko answered.

"Well…I…I…honestly would not know…" she laughed nervously "Besides Valentine I have never given any type of food to confess…well actually I've never confessed to anyone with or without food.…."

Her nervous laughter died on her lips as Kuon's green eyes watched her intensely.

"Suppose a man came to you and confessed with….let's say, your favorite dessert, what would it be?" he questioned lightly but she still felt like she was being engulfed by his eyes, 'why did he have to have so many shades of green in them, was that even humanly possible?' she mused.

His words brought back her traitorous blush.

"No one would confess to me Kuon-san" she said meekly, looking down at her shoes. 'Honestly, why did she feel like a child right now?'

Kyoko missed Kuon rolling his eyes and looking up at the ceiling in despair. He didn't even bother refuting her statement but went right on to his goal.

"I said 'suppose' Kyoko-san" even as he said it the words felt bitter in his mouth.

Kyoko jerked up and felt her heart pinch in pain at his words, looking straight at him she replied with a new found resolve, she was making too much out of his simple questions "Yes you did. If someone were to confess to me than I guess I would be happy with a chocolate chiffon cake with cherry filling in the layers and whipped cream on top.

He seemed to be thinking about something, "Wouldn't that be like a black forest cake?"

She shook her head, causing a couple of locks of hair to come out from her bun.

"No, a chiffon cake uses far more eggs than a normal cake; it's much lighter and airy than say a normal chocolate cake."

Kuon nodded his head in understanding and looked at her expectantly.

She shifted uncomfortable, 'teaching it seems is harder than I thought'.

Realizing that they had both been standing for a while now, she indicated to the extensive island in the middle.

"Why don't we sit down and discuss what you want to make first?" she counseled.

He nodded his head in agreement, provoking his hair to sway in a most tantalizing way, not that Kyoko would ever harbor such a shameful thought, though she did wonder if his hair felt as soft as it looked.

They both took a seat, opposite of each other, on the bar stools situated near the island counter.

"Would you like something to eat or drink perhaps?" asked Kyoko half out of courtesy and half out of concern. She had learned fairly quickly, partly due to his worried –"nagging" in Kuon's opinion- manager, how the man in front of her was towards food. 'He eats only when he's on the brink of death' Kyoko muttered inside her head 'probably didn't even have dinner I'm betting, honestly why must he act like such a child when it comes to eating?'

Rather than wait for his answer she went right to the target, eyeing him sharply "Did you even have dinner?"

Kuon had the decency to look down in shame and mutter that he had a snack and before he could protest Kyoko was out her seat in a whirlwind and was by the fridge taking out assorted items.

Kuon felt like he was watching a tornado in action. He stood up and tired to stop her.

"Kyoko-san there really is no need for you to make something for me, I feel like I'm already causing you enough trouble as it is."

She paused and Kuon waited for her usual lecture 'you need to take care of your body' to come speeding at him, but to his amazement she smiled sweetly.

"It's no trouble Kuon-san, you see I didn't get a chance to eat either and it would be no trouble to make more servings. After all you **need** to eat."

The last sentence was stated with such authority that all Kuon could do was nod and pray that she wasn't too pissed. He sat down again like a naughty school boy awaiting his punishment.

He watched her while she swiftly moved from one place to another. The black pants she wore were in tune with her never ending legs and those damn locks of ebony hair that had come undone from her bun were ever so tempting, slightly swaying against her delicate neck.

He looked away lest his face catch up with his dangerous thoughts.

After finding nothing of interest his eyes found their way back to the young lady humming away at the stove.

Without missing a beat she moved to the oven and deposits something in.

A few minutes later she came to him and placed a glass of water in front of him.

"It'll probably be half an hour or so. Let's discuss what you want to make in the meantime."

Kuon can't help but smile warmly at her and was rewarded with that becoming blush.

'Does he have to smile like that? Doesn't he realize that normal people are not used to such an ethereal smile?' wondered Kyoko as she sipped the cold water.

"I'm actually not sure what I want to make, perhaps you can give me some ideas?" he said with a calculating look.

She wrapped her slender hands around the cup and regarded him. Silence followed as both of them tired not to appear suspicious to the other.

"Well" she started out gradually "If you don't mind my asking what type of woman is she? If can get the essence of her personality than perhaps we can pick a dessert."

She abruptly looked down in her water, as meaning of her words ran through her brain. She tried to squash her horribly intentions of wanting to know what type of a woman attracted Kuon. 'This all to help him' she thought trying desperately to convince herself 'it will helping with deciding what we need to make, I don't really want to know what type of woman he's interested in'.

'This is for Kuon, not for your selfish reasons Kyoko!' she mentally berated herself, hoping he wouldn't see her ill desires.

When he had mentioned it last night she felt a great desire to find out as much as she could about this mythical creature. She didn't want to think about why this desire came about, all Kyoko knew was that it was improper and she had best get rid of it as soon as possible. 'Easier said than done' she groaned as she lay in bed fantasizing a woman no one could hate due to her perfection…except Kyoko that is, she couldn't help but hate her.

Kuon's answer brought her back to reality "She's…..

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><p>Reviews...would be nice lol<p>

I'm not a professional cook/pastry chef so if anything Kyoko says is wrong than please tell me because I do know how to cook so I'm basing this of my experiences.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys! I'm early! Lol seriously though if it wasn't for school I would give you guys like at least four chappys per week but alas my education is important...or so I've been told.

Apologizes for any mistakes and if you feel the characters are ooc, but this how I think they might act if they were put in such a situation. :)

As always Enjoy!

Reviews would make my day :)

***If I owned it I'd be living in Japan right now...but I'm not...sniff..***

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><p>Chap 3<p>

"You know I honestly don't think I could do her justice using words" replied Kuon after his pause, like a true man sappily in love.

Kyoko's inner dramatic self was freaking out. 'A woman who could not be done justice to by Kuon Hizuri, the most wanted man in Japan? What wicked BLASPHEMY! Seriously what was the world coming to? How dare this tramp put Kuon at such a loss?' Defended Kyoko internally, wondering if she could find this woman using her demons and demand her banishment from this world for putting Kuon at such a loss.

'Has it occurred to you that perhaps there is such a deserving woman?' asked Kyoko's conscience.

Kyoko wanted to vehemently deny such a thing, but if it was possible for there to be such a man as Kuon than perhaps there was such a woman too. 'Nevertheless even if the woman was just as great as Kuon, it didn't give her right to cause trouble like this' conceived Kyoko as a wave of sadness and frustration spread around her body.

If she could, Kyoko would start hyperventilating and possibly go up to her room and cry with a carton of ice-cream, but her sensibilities would not let her do such a thing. 'After all, did she not make a vow after the fiasco with Sho that she would never even think about **that **emotion when it came to her? So then why in blazes was she sitting here staring at this man and getting all… all jealous like?' she reasoned.

"Kyoko-san?" Kuon said waving his hand in front of her eyes.

Kyoko was jolted out of her speculations. She apologized to him for her woolgathering but he brushed it aside.

"Perhaps I should just learn how to make a simple chocolate cake; it can't go wrong since woman love chocolate."

Kyoko contemplated his words and answered carefully "Kuon-san I don't think you should make a generalization like that, not all women love chocolate, some of them actually detest it."

"Ah, your right, my apology Kyoko-san" said Kuon ruefully, fiddling with his water glass.

They sat in silence for a few seconds before Kuon spoke again "Notwithstanding I think she does like chocolate, actually I'm about 89% sure she likes chocolate." Kyoko felt like she was being pricked by Kuon, the aura around him felt like something she couldn't touch nor enter. To think that Kuon had a relationship with a woman who he liked romantically was a revelation to Kyoko. A relationship which would cause Kuon to one day kick Kyoko out of his circle of relationships. 'Why would he even need me as an acquaintance if he had **HER**?' questioned Kyoko with cynicism.

"So if you don't mind I think a chocolate cake would work" stated Kuon without much room for argument.

"I hope she chokes on the chocolate cake and is tortured to the point that she never touches chocolate again' said Kyoko's jealousy maliciously. Karma bit her in the behind when Kyoko choked on the water she put in her mouth the minute she thought of such a spiteful statement.

Kuon in his worry got out of seat and was beside her in a flash. He patted her back as she coughed and spurted. 'I'm must look like a complete moron' deemed Kyoko as her face turned red in shame and lack of air 'I'm sure if it was **that **woman she would have made chocking seem like an art, thus winning a noble peace prize or something and leaving Kuon breathless' concluded Kyoko bitterly as her coughing decreased.

Tears pooled her eyes at the recent devilish thought, she gazed up at Kuon.

His eyes widened at the picture she made, sitting on the chair with red cheeks and rich golden eyes filled with tears.

Before he could do anything, she thankfully brought him down to earth.

"I'M SOOO SOOORRRRYYY KUON-SAN!" wailed Kyoko bowing in her seat. She whimpered incomprehensible words as she cried.

The absurdity of the situation was lost on Kuon as worry took over. He knew that she was prone to exaggerations and such but there would always be a part of him that worried, no matter how many times his intuition said it was nothing to be concerned about.

He kneeled down so he was face to face with her…or so he thought as she was still bowed over, hiding her face between her apron and legs. Her hands were ensconced in her lap.

Kuon touched her shoulders lightly, not wanting to frighten her.

"Kyoko-san please put your head up" he said gently, trying to sooth the crying woman. Unconsciously Kuon rubbed her shoulder when she did not make a move to get up.

Her cries eventually abated and in a whisper that Kuon barely heard she said "I'm sorry Kuon-san, I'm such a horrible person. I don't deserve to live."

Kuon would have laughed at her statement were it not for her doleful voice. He was pretty sure now that whatever was bothering her was a simple thing that she was most likely taking out of proportion.

"Kyoko-san I hardly think that you of all the people in the world deserve to die. As far as horrible people go, you are on the opposite spectrum. I've never met someone as honorable and exceptional as you."

'Except for **that** trollop' argued Kyoko's demons bitingly. This brought about another wave of tears. 'I knew I should have never thought of these feelings, **that cursed** emotion brings nothing but pain and suffering, look at me' contemplated Kyoko painstakingly 'I'm turning into an atrocious woman!'

Deciding that her crying would not help Kyoko, Kuon stop rubbing her back and tenderly forced her to sit up straight again causing her to pause her weeping.

He took his handkerchief out and delicately wiped her tears away, almost as if she was made of glass.

"Take deep breaths for me okay? Inhale…good, now exhale slowly" said Kuon trying to subdue her.

Once Kyoko appeared somewhat normal Kuon grasped her hands and gave them a small squeeze. He looked up at her and smiled charmingly.

"Better?" he asked. She nodded and he continued "Want to tell me what's wrong? Or the reason you so profusely apologized to me?"

His eyes twinkled with a hint of teasing but she could tell that he was worried and genuinely wanted to know what was wrong with her.

Kyoko looked down at her bare hands in shame. 'I don't deserve to have such a man in my life' presumed Kyoko in her guilt.

"Kyoko…" whispered Kuon, as he lifted her chin forcing her to look in his eyes.

Kyoko shook her head and murmured pleadingly "Please don't ask me what's wrong, please just accept my apology…please."

As much as Kuon wanted to know what was wrong he knew pushing her would get him nowhere.

"Okay, but Kyoko-san please know that if you do want to talk about it in the future I'm willing to listen to you, it might help if you told someone about it. It doesn't have to be me specifically but please remember that I'm always here."

Kyoko pondered his words and just as she was about to open her mouth a beeping sound filled the kitchen.

"Oh!' she gasped and said as she instantly stood up "The tarts."

Her problems forgotten momentarily Kyoko ran to the over door, leaving behind a befuddled Kuon. She opened the oven door, grabbing a kitchen towel on the way.

Kuon smirked at the distinct change in her mood. He was still concerned about her but for tonight he would let it go.

"Is there anything I can help with?" asked Kuon as she took out small cast iron pans from the oven.

Although he couldn't cook to save himself he could help set the table and such.

"Yes please, can you grab a couple of rice bowls and plates? They are in the shelf by the sink on the left." She directed without turning around from stove. Grilled smoke soon followed her words.

Kuon grabbed the dishes and picked up some eating utensils. He carefully placed each on the table making sure to put everything in its rightful place.

The kitchen was bathed in that baking smell and the aroma of certain herbs almost made Kuon hungry…almost, which was saying a lot considering the only person who could bring that action out in him was Kyoko and her cooking.

Her cooking always made him feeling special, he had eaten at world famous restaurants but none made him want to voluntarily eat food unless he was on the brink of starvation. With Kyoko's food he could eat it day and night without much encouragement.

Perhaps it was the fact that she knew his personality so well. When it came to food she could read him like a book, knowing when he wanted a certain dish or when he wanted something light that wouldn't burden his stomach.

Kyoko brought over the food agilely without any trouble.

She had made tomato tarts as an appetizer of sorts, grilled fish that looked like it would melt in the mouth, rice, and several side dishes.

Kuon half smiled when he saw no meat on the table. He hated eating heavy dinners and since he had a slightly extravagant lunch this would be the perfect dinner for the end of his day.

The only thing that looked even remotely heavy was the white goat cheese mousse on top the tomato tart, but from the smell the pastry emitted Kuon hardly cared.

Kyoko skillfully served them both and said "itadakimasu" before she began.

Kuon soon followed suit and cut into his flaky tart. His tongue danced with the flavors that burst into his mouth.

The sweetness from the tomato, the slightly salty goat cheese and the herbs layered between the roasted tomato and the pastry.

Too soon the tart was done and Kyoko filled his rice bowl with just the right amount of those white grains.

Kuon couldn't help but watch Kyoko as she ate, her expressions warmed his heart.

Noticing him staring Kyoko looked up and asked shyly "Is something wrong?"

Kuon just shook his head and went back to his food; Kyoko watched him for a second more and disregarded his odd behavior.

The slightly salty after taste from the goat cheese made eating the grilled fish even more pleasant.

Once they finished eating Kuon helped Kyoko clean up despite her adamant refusal.

'He even makes drying dishes seem like a marvelous feat' mused Kyoko as she peeked at him from the corner of her eye.

Once they finished Kyoko looked at the clock on the wall to see that it was almost 10 o'clock, she glanced back at Kuon.

"Would like to get started tonight or tomorrow, I'm sure you have a busy day ahead of you tomorrow and probably need all the rest you can get."

He smiled at her worry and replied "I really don't have to start until 9:45 tomorrow, so sleeping late won't be too much trouble, although I don't want to bother you by keeping you up."

Kyoko nodded her head in agreement, if she didn't have to get up at five in the morning she would have vehemently denied him bothering her at all. 'It's would be nice to be around him more often' presumed Kyoko and added as an afterthought berating herself 'only to help him of course. Don't be such a baka Kyoko, you are only here to help him something and nothing else, he's got better things to do than hang around a lame woman like yourself.'

"How about we look at a simple chocolate cake recipe and we'll figure out what you can do and what you need to learn" suggested Kyoko.

Kuon nodded in agreement.

Kyoko opened the door situated on the right corner of the room and motioned for Kuon to follow her.

Her heart beat rose as she realized the impact of her actions, 'Kuon is following me to my apartment, what was I thinking….letting a man….but it's Kuon….but him being Kuon makes it worse…I'll probably end up acting like a baka again…..apparently I wasn't thinking…' Kyoko said to herself. 'Calm down Kyoko, it wouldn't do to having another disgraceful episode like before.'

Thankfully for Kyoko her inner struggle was not noticeable as she climbed the stairs followed closely by Kuon, though it should be noted that both our characters were having rather childish internal conflicts, making them feel like newly turned teenagers again.

It was like seeing your crush's room for the first time, the excitement and your hammering heart beat make you want to laugh out loud in delirium as you get closer and closer to that certain door. It feels like once you cross the threshold you will enter some unknown land that was made only for the person that are determined to be rest of your life, never mind the fact your crush only lasts a month, but your whole being is blinded by worship so you hardly care.

Taking a deep breath Kyoko unlocked the only door situated in the small hallway.

She smiled nervously at Kuon as she opened the door and walked in.

"Umm would you like to sit in the living room and look at the recipes or would you prefer the office?" She asked him, not bothering to offer any refreshments seeing as they just ate, as they took off their shoes in the foyer and slipped into fuzzy slippers.

"The office" stated Kuon selfishly in a throaty voice that froze Kyoko for about a nanosecond. He wanted to see every little part of the apartment he could without appearing like some crazed stalker…or such.

She mutedly nodded and turned right into the hallway.

Every room they passed was neat and homely, mirroring the woman's personality.

The office consisted of a large rosewood desk that carried a flat screen computer and a small printer. It also held the usual tools and writing utensils in a mug of sorts that had a fairy as a handle.

Two of the walls of the office had built in bookshelves, most of which were filled with either books or thick black labeled binders.

Of the wall that held one of the bookshelves there was a large window in the corner that looked out into the city, currently it was covered with beige blinds.

Below this window were two pearl white sofa chairs and situated between the two was a white sofa table. The slightly dark wood bordering the set was captivating, the contrasting white of the cloth and the dark shade wood of the frames.

Kuon stood taking in everything as Kyoko walked to the bookshelf opposite of her desk and ran her lithe fingers across the spines of books. She paused at some but didn't bother taking them out. Eventually she took two books out of their place, one a hardcover and the other a paperback.

They both sat down on the sofa chairs, him a content relaxed sort of way and her in her typical elegant manner. Kyoko placed both books on the table and looked up at him.

"Is there a specific type of chocolate cake you would like to make or do you want to start out with a basic chocolate cake and go from there?"

"I think a basic chocolate would be best" answered Kuon as Kyoko picked up one of the books and flipped to the index.

Finding what she was looking for she flipped the pages back to the right page.

"Can you do me a favor and check where the chocolate cake recipe is in that book? It should just be labeled chocolate cake and nothing else" she pointed out in regards to the various recipes that not just simply chocolates cake but so much more.

"Okay" said Kuon as he picked up the other book and went straight to the index. There were two recipes for a basic chocolate cake. Giving one last glance at the pages written he turned to the first page and placed his finger by the binding, he turned the pages to the other page that was mentioned in the back.

He looked up at Kyoko for more instructions to see her reading the recipe. He gave her a few moments, when she finished she placed the book back on the table open faced down and asked for the other book.

"There are two recipes" stated Kuon as he passed the book on to her, his finger still in place.

Their fingers grazed but Kyoko didn't seem to notice or so Kuon thought.

Inner Kyoko shrieked in both agony and pleasure.

Placing her distracted attention back on the book she was handed she carefully read the recipe, more than once just to get it the gist of it.

"I think it would be best if we go with this recipe" pointed out Kyoko, showing Kuon the first book she had read "It's simple and the taste isn't lacking."

She looked up at him for consent.

Kuon didn't bother reading the recipe, but send a resplendent smile her way throwing her demons off guard. Suffice to say none of them perished due to much practice and being regularly in the vicinity of the celestial being in front of them, though they could not help but freeze for a scarce minute or two.

"If you believe that this is the best recipe Kyoko-san than I trust you completely."

Trying to calm her throbbing her heart, Kyoko altogether missed Kuon's underlying hint.

* * *

><p>THANKS TO EVERYBODY WHO REVIEWED THE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS! Anonymous or otherwise :D<p>

Sorry if the chapter felt boring, I like to take things slow.

Last note, this might be longer than 5 chapters, I didn't realize the amount of emotions and whatnot it would require when I started writing this.


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